Hey all,
So after the winter took my first Blue Star, I thought I should get another...I just bought a stock Juniper, it is full and lush, mainly due to the fact that they feed the junk out of it. what tips for transplanting might anyone have. My first instinct is to trim it all up. Then let it stay in the 10 inch pot it came in... am I wrong what else might I do to get it off the fertilizer that is soooo embeded in the soil mixture? really I'm al=sking for advice on starting from stock trees and shrub. its not this step that killed the last one I had, that was lack of water and sun, I'm sure of that now. any tips would be helpful. also, on a side note, does anyone know of a good school in Santa Fe for botany <-spl? Tanks as always. Peace
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bonsai addict
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I'm a novice also but my best idea would be to prune the foliage to the general shape you want it rather than chop it all off then remove it from its pot and give a good spray off w/ the hose or watering can then replace displaced soil w/ a free draining mix plus then you can see what your roots are lookin like maybe they need a good pruning
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bonsai addict
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free draining soil mix is a mix of organic and inorganic potting soil.for instance normally plants in big chain stores mix soil w/ perlite(the little white particles)cause it reduces weight for shipping.but for bonsai some sort of gravel or pebbles(inorganic) is mixed w/ some kind of composted material .being a novice I just use high quality potting soil from the store.
the resulting combination allows the roots plenty of oxygen and promotes good root growth.so when you water it should not stand ontop of the surface but gradually run through the pot and out the drain holes.but make sure you give a good soak so all particles get wet. I'm sure a reply w/ a suggestion of pea gravel will be made but I'm not sure what it is or where to get it.for the gravel I use this grey red stuff from my local "mallsai" supplier.
wow that was a long winded answer.and I suck at typing so it took a while hope it helps
the resulting combination allows the roots plenty of oxygen and promotes good root growth.so when you water it should not stand ontop of the surface but gradually run through the pot and out the drain holes.but make sure you give a good soak so all particles get wet. I'm sure a reply w/ a suggestion of pea gravel will be made but I'm not sure what it is or where to get it.for the gravel I use this grey red stuff from my local "mallsai" supplier.
wow that was a long winded answer.and I suck at typing so it took a while hope it helps
sure thing thanks. always good to hear other peoples angles...for now I think ill trim it up a bit more, seeing as how every day a little becomes obovious. then after a month or so ill trim the roots, put it on top of a rock and repot. Believe me, after the first attempt last year I know a heck of a lot more about what trees like 
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bonsai addict
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- Joined: Fri May 26, 2006 12:59 am